Burning Man attendance may be lower in 2025: Is 'funflation' to blame?

Could the party in the desert be losing its spark? For the first time in over a decade

Burning Man tickets haven't sold out ahead of the event. And one possible culprit? A trend

economists are calling funflation. The iconic desert gathering draws tens of thousands of

free spirits to Nevada every year, all in the name of art, community, and radical self-expression

But with weeks to go before the August 24th kickoff, there are still tickets left

That never happens. Ticket prices start at $550, and that's before you add a vehicle pass, supplies for a week, or the gear needed to survive the desert

And while Burning Man has never been about luxury, the cost of going has never been higher

Not just at Burning Man, but everywhere. Welcome to Funflation, where even joy comes at a premium

A 2025 ticket hold ysis says ticket prices for live events have surged by 26 percent since 2021

The average concert ticket is now up from 96 just a few years ago People aren buying tickets as soon as a show or event is announced anymore A representative at StubHub told me sometimes the best thing to do now is to hold off

When a tour is announced and you have those public on-sales, we usually tend to say

hey, let some of that excitement go away from the market. The best time to buy is actually not necessarily in those first 72 or the first hours or a week after the event goes on sale, but sometimes wait

But 2023's Burning Man chaos may not be helping Burning Man's case

A late summer storm that year trapped thousands in deep mud, forcing people to shelter in place for days or walk miles to escape, like Diplo and Chris Rock, who ended up hitching a ride with a fan

A combination of extreme weather, post-pandemic burnout, and funflation could be making even hardcore burners think twice

We're getting out of here. Burning Man organizers tell CBS they hold tickets until their OMG sale, which opens July 30th because of last minute immediacy

But this could be a sign that even the most legendary events aren't immune to the cost of living

With Straight Arrow News, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit san.com for more